Samuel wearing his CPAP mask which helps him to breath properly at night

Samuel was born with Bainbridge Roper’s syndrome, which affects just 12 people in the UK.

It means he can’t walk or speak, has the mental capacity of a five-year-old, and also has to be kept on a breathing monitor at night.

In September, he was given a place at an educational residential college in Surrey, which meant her £258-a-month carer’s allowance was also stopped, although she still cares for her son during half-term and summer holidays.

In the same month, she switched over to Universal Credit but received nothing for her first payment.

During the October half-term Samuel came home for the holidays and it was then that they reached their lowest point.

The mum-of-one is plagued with her own health problems, which makes it difficult for her to work

Ruth began selling clothes and furniture on Facebook - and instead of asking for money she pleaded with buyers to send groceries with which she could feed Samuel.

"I felt mortified. I’ve worked hard for my country and I pride myself on being a good person," she said.

“I volunteer for four charities and I’m the ambassador of two. I’m one of those people who would give away their last Rolo yet I’m not getting the assistance from the government when I need it.”

"My heart sunk to my feet. I couldn't believe it," she told The Sun.

Ruth received a £300 advance when she was moved on to Universal Credit but says this didn't even cover her bills - and she was pushed further into debt.

She said: "I took the advance payment but now I'm paying it back every month it's like another debt."

The Sun wants to Make Universal Credit Work

Universal Credit replaces six benefits with a single monthly payment.

One million people are already receiving it and by the time the system is fully rolled out in 2023, nearly 7 million will be on it.

But there are big problems with the flagship new system - it takes 5 weeks to get the first payment and it could leave some families worse off by thousands of pounds a year.

And while working families can claim back up to 85 per cent of their childcare costs, they must find the money to pay for childcare upfront - we’ve heard of families waiting up to 6 months for the money.

Working parents across the country told us they’ve been unable to take on more hours - or have even turned down better paid jobs or more hours because of the amount they get their benefits cut.

It’s time to Make Universal Credit work. We want the government to:

Get paid faster: The Government must slash the time Brits wait for their first Universal Credit payments from five to two weeks, helping stop 7 million from being pushed into debt.

Keep more of what you earn: The work allowance should be increased and the taper rate should be slashed from from 63p to 50p, helping at least 4 million families.

Don’t get punished for having a family: Parents should get the 85 per cent of the money they can claim for childcare upfront instead of being paid in arrears.

Previously she had been entitled to income support, carer’s allowance, disability living allowance, child tax credit and child benefit, which came to a total of £1,372.80.

But in July 2018 she lost Samuel’s monthly £82.80 child benefit and £511.20 tax credit because he no longer qualified for them.

She has since learned that Samuel's DLA has not only been stopped because he's in state-funded residential college but there's also a four-month over payment because the DWP says it was unaware of his change in circumstances.

After moving onto the new welfare system, she's been left £1,079.99 worse off every month.

Now Ruth gets just £292 a month on Universal Credit, although this can vary if she takes on more hours at work.

I begged doctor to let me go back to work

Ruth has brought up Samuel as a single mum since 2006 when he was seven

Ruth, who has brought up Samuel as a single mum since he was seven years old, has osteopenia and osteoarthritis, which affect her bones and joints and Spondylitis - an inflammatory spine condition.

Despite being in constant pain, Ruth went to speak to her doctor about going back to work as she was "completely broke".

What to do if you have problems claiming Universal Credit

IF you're experiencing trouble applying for your Universal Credit, or the payments just don't cover costs, here are your options:

Apply for an advance - Claimants are able to get some cash within five days rather than waiting weeks for their first payment. But it's a loan which means the repayments will be automatically deducted from your future Universal Credit pay out.

Alternative Payment Arrangements - If you're falling behind on rent, you or your landlord may be able to apply for an APA which will get your payment sent directly to your landlord. You might also be able to change your payments to get them more frequently, or you can split the payments if you're part of a couple.

Budgeting Advance - You may be able to get help from the government to help with emergency household costs of up to £348 if you're single, £464 if you're part of a couple or £812 if you have children. These are only in cases like your cooker breaking down or for help getting a job. You'll have to repay the advance through your regular Universal Credit payments. You'll still have to repay the loan, even if you stop claiming for Universal Credit.

Cut your Council Tax - You might be able to get a discount on your Council Tax or be entitled to Discretionary Housing Payments if your payments aren't enough to cover your rent.

Foodbanks - If you're really hard up and struggling to buy food and toiletries, you can find your local foodbank who will provide you with help for free. You can find your nearest one on the Trussell Trust website.

He agreed to sign her as "fit to work" for a maximum of two days a week and she found an admin job in the office of a charity.

She now works on an ad hoc basis of around three days a month, earning £9 per hour.

Ruth said: "I have had no luck finding a job that I only have to do a couple of days a week, plus have all school holidays off plus any odd days for hospital appointments for my son and myself."

She added: “I want to keep the job because I like seeing people and helping people through the charity but it absolutely kills me.

“My condition means I can’t stand up for more than five minutes but I can’t sit down for long either because that hurts my back, so I’m up and down."

Single dad opens up to Professor Green about his ongoing battle on Universal Credit

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